On the morning of November 14th, 1943, Leonard Bernstein, the talented 25-year-old assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, got a phone call saying he would at last be leading the respected orchestral group — in six hours, that afternoon, with no time to rehearse.
The sudden thrust into the spotlight transformed Bernstein into a national celebrity. For almost five decades, the wunderkind would be at the forefront of American music, as a conductor, composer, virtuoso performer, writer, television personality and teacher.
He would also help create the most important Broadway musicals of the mid-20th century — On The Town, Wonderful Town and West Side Story. These shows would not only spotlight the talents of its young creator. They would also spotlight the romance and rhythm of New York City.
Bernstein is one of New York’s most influential cultural figures. He spent most of his life in the city, and that’s the focus of today’s story – Leonard Bernstein’s New York.
The new film Maestro, starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, focuses on Bernstein’s personal story and intimate life. That specific angle is not our objective today – for the most part. We’re looking at the relationship between the creator and his urban inspiration. Where did Bernstein make his name in New York City and how did his work change the city?
FEATURING The Village Vanguard, City Center, Carnegie Hall, the old Metropolitan Opera and the Dakota Apartments
And co-starring Jerome Robbins, Aaron Copland, Stephen Sondheim, Comden and Green, Lauren Bacall, Tom Wolfe of course Felicia Montealegre
Visit the website for more information and images
Music snippet information
“On The Town: Act I: Opening: New York, New York” (Studio Cast Recording 1961)
CBS Broadcast, Manfred Overture, Op 115 (New York Philharmonic)
“Joan Crawford Fan Club” The Revuers
Symphony No. 1 Jeremiah (New York Philharmonic)
CBS Broadcast, Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character, op. 35 (New York Philharmonic)
Fancy Free Ballet_ VII. Finale
I Get Carried Away, On The Town
Christopher Street (From Wonderful Town Original Cast Recording 1953)
On the Waterfront Main Title (Revised)
Candide, Act II - No. 31, Make Our Garden Grow (Finale)
West Side Story_ Act II_ Somewhere
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 (New York Philharmonic)
Leonard Bernstein - Young People's Concerts - What Does Music Mean? (1958)
Kaddish, Symphony No. 3 (To the Beloved Memory of John F. Kennedy) I. Invocation - Kaddish 1
The Ladies Who Lunch / Company Original Broadway Cast
Mass - Hymn and Psalm_ A Simple Song
Dybbuk Suite No. 2 - Leah (New York Philharmonic)
Leonard Bernstein and Shirley Verrett at GMHC Circus Benefit, Madison Square Garden
Mahler - Symphony No.5 (New York Philharmonic)
Rewind: TESLA -- The Inventor in Old New York
#336 The War on Newspaper Row
#335 Pulitzer vs Hearst: The Rise of Yellow Journalism
Rewind: The Land of the Lenape
#334 Midnight Cowboy (Bowery Boys Movie Club)
Rewind: The Secret Origin of Comic Books
#333 Tearing Down King George: The Monumental Summer of 1776
#332 Welcome to Yorkville: German Life on the Upper East Side
Rewind: Seneca Village and New York's Forgotten Black Communities
#331 The East Side Elevateds: Life Under the Tracks
#330 The Silent Parade of 1917: Black Unity in a Time of Crisis
#329 The First Ambulance: The Humans (and Horses) That Saved New York
#328 Chop Suey City: A History of Chinese Food in New York
#327 Listener Stories: At Home In New York Part Two
#326 Listener Stories: At Home in New York Part One
#325 The Staten Island Quarantine War
#324 Moving Day! Madness and Mayhem in Old New York
#323 The Bowery Wizards: A History of Tattooed New York
#322 Nickelodeons and Movie Palaces: New York and the Film Industry 1893-1920
#321 Lauren Bacall ... At Home At The Dakota Apartments
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra